Chapter 160: The Dismantling Operation

In just a few exchanges, Yun Qimu realized that the seemingly gentle and refined gentleman before her was, in fact, a man of extraordinary wisdom.

After the two exchanged some polite, tacit pleasantries, Kui Hai asked, “How many days do you plan to stay in Chaos City?”

“Hmm—” Yun Qimu thought for a moment. “We’ve sold almost everything we brought. At most, we’ll stay three more days.”

Kui Hai looked a little disappointed at her answer, then, as if unintentionally, let his gaze fall on Pei Yu, who was standing behind her. He smiled and said, “That’s a pity. Zhong Teng has gone to Molan City to invite Mr. Zhengyang for help. If Mr. Pei leaves, you two will just miss each other.”

Pei Yu’s peach blossom eyes widened in surprise. “You know me? And you know that old stick-in-the-mud too?”

Mr. Kui Hai chuckled and said with some emotion, “Of course I know you. Nineteen years ago, I witnessed your heroic presence here in Chaos City. Our Longteng group has always maintained a good relationship with several people from Molan City. Ming Xiao was actually one of us in Longteng, a good friend of Zhong Teng’s. If it weren’t for his health, and Mr. Ming Mu inviting him to Molan City to recuperate, he’d probably still be with us in Longteng.”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard something about that,” Pei Yu said, scratching his head, a look of realization dawning on his face.

Back when his cousin was exiled to this refugee planet with his army, it took him a year to whip a dilapidated little town into shape and rename it Molan City.

This, of course, made the other two cities on the planet extremely unhappy. They resented another major power coming in to carve up the resources, so they tried to wipe out Molan City before it could establish itself.

At the time, they were outnumbered and outmatched, and their army quickly fell into a disadvantage. So his cousin decided to use tactics—first infiltrate and destabilize the enemy from within. Chaos City was full of factions large and small, rife with conflict, making it the perfect target for their dismantling operation.

So Pei Yu, Lin Zhengyang, and others were sent in to carry out the plan.

He went in alone, relying on his (self-proclaimed) badass style to mix it up in the slums of Chaos City. No one saw through him, and he even got into a turf war with that lunatic Yi Beimeng from the Honglian Gang.

You could say that he and Yi Beimeng turned the slums of Chaos City upside down. Thanks to his powers, Pei Yu could usually overpower anyone, but Yi Beimeng’s bugs were the bane of his wood-based abilities, chewing up countless of his vines.

While they were locked in a stalemate, news came from Lin Zhengyang’s side—they’d been discovered. Thanks to the help of a friendly faction within Chaos City, they managed to escape with their lives.

That was when Chaos City began its purge. Even though the city was chaotic and full of factions, there was still a real danger of being found out.

Pei Yu had no time to worry about turf wars with Yi Beimeng anymore. He was constantly on edge, afraid of being exposed. He kept wavering between following his cousin’s instructions to retreat and staying to fish in troubled waters, when Yi Beimeng saw through his disguise.

But instead of exposing him, Yi Beimeng proposed a partnership.

That maniac wanted to overthrow one of the major powers in Chaos City—the Longhu Gang—and had already planted several moles inside.

This fit perfectly with Molan City’s dismantling plan, so the two hit it off and decided to join forces.

On a dark, windy night, they launched their operation. After a brutal fight, the Longhu Gang was wiped out. Yi Beimeng slaughtered the gang’s leaders, recruited the underlings, and set fire to the gang’s lair, burning that den of evil to the ground.

The dazzling flames lit up half the sky above Chaos City. In the glow of the inferno, Yi Beimeng named his new faction the “Honglian Gang” (Red Lotus Gang), inspired by the lotus-like blaze.

With the Longhu Gang gone, the other factions in Chaos City began targeting Yi Beimeng, but even more factions tried to take advantage of the chaos.

What followed was a fierce struggle for territory, influence, and resources. Every faction tried to seize the moment, and with everyone fighting each other, no one had time to unite against outsiders. The dismantling operation was a complete success.

Pei Yu stayed for another two days, stole the spotlight, helped Yi Beimeng take care of a bunch of enemies, and then made a triumphant exit.

It was the first time he’d perfectly completed a mission and been commended by his cousin, so he remembered it all very clearly—including Yi Beimeng, who had clashed with him but ultimately helped him out. They were, in a way, half-friends.

Tacit understanding, the kind of friendship where you don’t contact each other for over a decade.

Ahem, he was getting sidetracked. Pei Yu rubbed his handsome face.

He only remembered that after the chaos in Chaos City, Lin Zhengyang had mentioned the friend who helped him escape, and that they’d kept in touch all these years, but he never said who it was. Lin Zhengyang was vague about it, and Pei Yu hadn’t bothered to ask.

As for Ming Xiao, he’d been badly infected by dark matter, but since he was a light-based ability user, he could suppress it—he wouldn’t die, but he was always sickly.

Ming Mu, that mad scientist, protected his brother like a child, so Pei Yu never bothered to visit Ming Xiao, not wanting to get snubbed. As a result, he never really got to know Ming Xiao.

So, he really had no idea where Ming Xiao had been brought back from.

He did vaguely remember the name Longteng. Back when the infighting in Chaos City was at its peak, Longteng was one of the few factions that benefited and rose to power.

He hadn’t expected that the one who saved Lin Zhengyang back then was Longteng.

Yun Qimu glanced at him. Pei Yu grinned at her and said, “Ah, now I remember. We really do have such a friend in Molan City.”

He then apologized to Mr. Kui Hai for not remembering sooner.

Kui Hai smiled and immediately said he understood Mr. Pei’s character, and that it was no big deal not to know.

After a bit more polite conversation, Mr. Kui Hai took the opportunity to invite them to stay a few more days. “In seven days, we’ll have the Chaos City Hunting Tournament. All the factions will participate, and the other two cities are sure to join in the fun as well. It’s bound to be lively. If Miss Yun and Mr. Pei want to do business, that will be the best time.”

Yun Qimu thought that made sense, but still asked, “But do the people coming have money?”

Kui Hai smiled warmly, but his tone was sly as a fox. “Of course. Anyone on this exile planet who can travel here for the festivities can’t possibly be poor.”

The implication was obvious.

Anyone coming to join the fun was loaded—prime fat sheep, ripe for the shearing.

Yun Qimu, catching his meaning, was delighted. Wu Xingyu was happy too, already thinking about bringing out the orchids again—maybe they’d find a rich sucker who loved flowers.

“All right, then we’ll stay a few more days and do some more business.”

Yun Qimu accepted Mr. Kui Hai’s invitation and sent a message to Yun Xiaoyu, Hua Lan, and Dailisi back in Earth Village, telling them to prepare more goods."